


It's a wild, wide beautiful world

by moeblobmegane



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Flashbacks, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2019-01-23 13:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12508488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: A story of running away, treasure hunts, and falling in love.Or in which Nagisa worms into Haruka’s heart, and builds a nest inside.





	It's a wild, wide beautiful world

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LifeinFanfiction](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LifeinFanfiction/gifts).



> Title from the song "Save Me San Francisco". Italics are flashbacks. (They're non-linear.)
> 
> Recipient-sama!!! I hope you like this? I tried hard to make it good!

Fairy lights adorn the whole backyard, weaved between tree branches and the tomato stakes. They shimmer in the darkness of the night. Scattered around are different things he recognizes from their travels: a standee of Kumamon, a beach ball with the Olympics symbol, those special mats they bought from Victoria Falls, and many more. Polaroid pictures of the places they have been to are taped to every surface as reminders of the happy times they spent together.

It makes Nagisa smile.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

_“I’m going!” Nagisa claps his hands in glee, then takes out the Olympics ticket from his coat pocket. “I just bought a ticket to LA!” He waves it in front of the webcam and smiles proudly._

_Haruka’s eyes widen in surprise. “Oh,” he says. “You can go?”_

_Nagisa nods. “I saved up looots of vacation days, you know? Professor Watanabe got really excited when I told her I’m finally using my vacation leave.” His smile turns soft and warm as he adds, “I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”_

_Warmth fills his chest as he stares at that smile. Haruka is always thankful for Nagisa’s presence in his life, and more so during these times. Competitions are always stressful, but Nagisa’s smiles remind him of how to push forward. After all, it was Nagisa who first taught him to power on despite his fears back when they were children._

_“Thank you,” he says, because no other words feel like enough. He cannot verbalize how much Nagisa helps him._

_The way Nagisa says, “You’re welcome”, sounds like he knows exactly what Haruka is thinking. “See you soon, Haru-chan!”_

_He cannot wait._

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Nagisa walks forward, quietly cataloguing everything in sight. There is a table right in the middle of their yard with candles and plates on it. The smell of savory chicken wafts from the kitchen, as well as spices that makes his mouth water. (He wonders if Haruka cooked everything on his own, or if Rei came over to help. They seem to bond best whenever they’re feeding Nagisa; a fact he appreciates, because more food is always better.)

“It’s beautiful,” he says. All he feels is awe. Haruka is not the type of person who does these things. It’s more of- “Did Rin-chan help you with this?” he asks, though what he means is _Did Rin-chan pester you into doing this_? Because that felt more likely.

Haruka’s voice is clearly amused when he says, “No.”

A pause. “Yes, maybe.”

A longer pause; his eyes sparkling with delight. “I wanted to do this,” he settles on. “He helped with the… _design_.” He looks around with an uncomfortable expression, gaze lingering on the fairy lights.

Those are a bit much for Haruka, he thinks. It’s beautiful though, and the effort makes it even more special. The fact that he did this _for Nagisa_ makes it more beautiful than any of the tourist spots they’ve been to.

“I love it,” Nagisa says, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. “It looks _awesome_.”

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

_Haruka moves to the right to pass through the door, but Rin follows and steps right in front of him. The locker room is quiet now with most of the camp athletes swimming in the pool. There’s a hollow quality to the sound of their footsteps echoing around the empty room. It’s eerie, like those horror movies Nagisa liked to watch._

_“What?” He thinks Rin is too dramatic for his own good, but he doesn’t say it out loud._

_“I heard from Nagisa,” Rin says. He looks like he’s trying hard to be casual, which isn’t even in the cards for him. They all know how intense Rin could be, and they’ve never wanted him to change. He’s fine the way he is. “He’s moving to your apartment?”_

_He could be annoying, though. Nosy, too._

_“He's stayed with me before,” Haruka answers. “He needs a place again.” Like three years ago, when he ran away from home for the first time. “His university is near mine.” At least this time, they have permission from Nagisa’s parents._

_Rin looks disapproving. “You better take good care of him, Haru.”_

_Haruka has never once wanted to protect anyone as much as he wants to protect Nagisa. Ever since they were children, he knew how important Nagisa is. There is something pure in him, something precious, that Haruka doesn’t want anyone to taint. Haruka will protect Nagisa, even from his own family._

_It must show on his face somehow, because Rin’s frown melts away into a small smile. “I know,” he says. “I know you’ll take care of him. He’s just…”_

_Nagisa makes people worry. Haruka understands that, too._

_“He can handle himself,” he says, instead. There is something precious inside Nagisa, but there’s steel there too. Nagisa is strong and brave, and one of the best people Haruka has ever known._

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Soft music plays in the background, and when Nagisa strains to listen, he recognizes a love song Gou used to play whenever they were lazing around their apartment on their last year in college. He remembers telling Gou ‘this reminds me of Haru-chan’; he remembers her replying ‘everything reminds you of Haruka-san’.

He walks to the table in the middle of the yard and sees the plushies sitting on their chairs: a penguin and a dolphin, matching ones they bought from one of their earliest dates.

He pulls out a chair and takes the penguin, sitting down and plopping the plushie on his lap. By the side, he sees Haruka walk in with a tray of food. It looks professionally done, with scrumptious colors and elegant plating. There’s chicken and potatoes and bacon bits.

“No mackerel?” Nagisa asks with a smile.

“I was told it would be inappropriate,” Haruka answers. It isn’t obvious in his flat tone but there’s a small pout on his lips, like he really wanted to cook mackerel for today.

“I would have liked it,” Nagisa says, and it’s true. It might be their most common food, but it’s Haruka’s favorite, so Nagisa has long associated it with Haruka and _being home_. “I like anything Haru-chan cooks.”

Haruka smiles then, that soft and warm expression Nagisa loves. “I like cooking for you.”

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

_“I only have mackerel.”_

_Haruka watches as Nagisa drags his bag around the living room. It’s a big duffle bag, filled with clothes and school books and toys he brought from home. The way he moves feels defensive, as if ready to bolt. He doesn’t take his things out of the bag._

_“Are you going to eat dinner here?”_

_He has enough food for two, even though he knows Nagisa eats more than one person. Haruka doesn’t eat much, anyway, so it’s fine. It’s not good when Nagisa doesn’t eat. Nagisa **always** eats. He eats when he’s happy, or when he’s sad, or even when he’s angry. If he refuses here, Haruka wouldn’t know what to do._

_“Yes, please,” Nagisa answers, still holding on to that big bag. “I’m hungry.”_

_He doesn’t sound hungry. He sounds tired._

_“Why aren’t you at home?” Haruka asks; figures he has to ask to understand._

_“I left home,” Nagisa answers with a shrug. He says it as if it’s something anyone would do. “I’m going on an adventure.” He looks stubborn and determined and like he’ll fight anyone who tries to tell him no._

_“Hm,” is all Haruka says. He takes mackerel from the stove and places it on a serving plate. He arranges their food as he thinks of what else to say. “Where are you going for your adventure?”_

_Nagisa looks at him, eyes wide and confused, the fight in him vanishing as soon as it came. “You won’t tell me to go home?”_

_Haruka frowns. “Will you go home if I tell you to?”_

_“No,” Nagisa answers._

_Haruka leaves it at that, bringing their plates to the table. They eat in silence for a while; Haruka chewing and staring into space, and Nagisa stealing wary glances at him._

_“Do you want to sleep here for the night?” Haruka asks. It feels polite to ask. Nagisa had slept over a few times when they were children, especially since his grandmother had a soft spot for the younger boy. Haruka remembers liking those nights. It made him feel less alone._

_“Can I?” Nagisa asks. He still looks wary and confused._

_“Of course,” Haruka answers. Why couldn’t he? “You’re always welcome here.”_

 

_That night, under the blankets, Nagisa talks about his dreams. He talks about middle school and being suffocated by expectations. He talks about being alone. He talks about swimming being the only thing that made him feel free, about the relay being a bright spot he could always look back to. He talks about Haruka and Makoto graduating, and how he’s scared of being left behind again._

_Haruka listens, and he understands. He says, “Stay here until you’re ready,” because that’s what he wants to hear too. He’s scared about the future, too._

_He feels less scared, with the two of them promising to support each other._

 

_“Do you think I can be a treasure hunter?” Nagisa asks, during breakfast the next day._

_“You can be anything you want to be,” Haruka says. He believes it with his whole heart. Nagisa may not know what he wants to be yet, but when he finds it, he will speed forward like he’s in the last leg of a race. It’s the only way he knows how to live. Haruka has always admired him for that._

_“It’ll be cool,” Nagisa sighs. “To find the greatest treasure on earth.”_

 

_Makoto finds Nagisa a day later, and scolds the two of them. (“Haru-chan! You shouldn’t have hid Nagisa! I’m sure his parents were worried! Ama-chan was looking all over for him, you know?!”) Haruka doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t have any regrets. Nagisa looks lighter now, as if he was reminded of something important or as if he found the answer he was looking for. Haruka cannot bring himself to feel sorry for doing the one thing he could do for Nagisa._

 

_“It helped,” Nagisa tells him during practice, while Makoto trains with Rei in the pool. “It didn’t feel so suffocating, knowing that Haru-chan would always be there.”_

_Haruka doesn’t say anything, because Nagisa already knows the important things._

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

“So, what’s the occasion?” Nagisa asks, halfway through the meal. Their birthdays are still ways off, and so is their anniversary. Haruka won his last medal a month ago, and Nagisa’s last big archeological discovery was even longer than that. “Did I miss anything?”

Haruka glances down at his full plate, then at the fairy lights again. He stares at the polaroids with a faraway look in his eyes. “We’re in Japan at the same time,” he says.

Nagisa laughs. “That’s true,” he agrees. “It’s not often we get to spend weeks together here.” They almost always meet outside of the country, especially when Haruka’s competition is near wherever Nagisa’s team is doing their dig. They get to travel the world together, which makes going home together all that more special.

“Prof said I might be called next week for a dig in Australia,” Nagisa says. “I might be able to hang out with Rin-chan! It’s been a while.”

“Camp starts soon, too,” Haruka replies.

“So… only one week, huh?” Nagisa smiles at him, happy but wistful too. He wants this night to go on forever.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

_“You look chipper. It’s weird.” Adam, one of the swimmers from America visiting for the camp, sidles over to his side and smiles at him. He reminds Haruka of Sousuke, the way he can be friendly but sharp too. He nudges Haruka with an elbow. “Good news?”_

_“His boyfriend’s coming later,” Rin answers with a smirk._

_Haruka scowls at Rin. He doesn’t talk about his personal life with anyone, though it’s not like he’s hiding it either. Nagisa calls him enough during odd times that most of them has seen him when they facetime._

_“Oh!” Adam looks gleeful. “A boyfriend, huh! Is he Australian? Live near here?”_

_“No,” Haruka answers, still glaring at Rin. “He’s here for work.”_

_Rin looks proud when he says, “Archeologist. It’s pretty cool.”_

_Haruka almost corrects him with ‘treasure hunter’ because that’s what Nagisa always say. It’s a reflex to say it, but it’s a joke only the two of them understand._

 

_“We found a jar!” Nagisa sits beside Haruka on the bench outside of the swimming area. He carries a big bag, like usual. It contains books for his research and some of the tools he uses. He calls it his nerd supplies. “I think it has etchings,” he adds. “Do you know how long it’s been since we found etchings, Haru-chan?”_

_“A while,” Haruka answers. He remembers the first time Nagisa’s team found a bone, and how hyped up Nagisa was the whole time. Nagisa’s idea of a treasure has evolved since they were in high school, and now he gets excited over bones and stones the way Haruka gets excited over olympic pools and huge bodies of water._

_“I found an expert and I’m reviewing through their works now. We have a paleographer on board, too!”_

_Haruka smiles. “You’re studying?”_

_Nagisa grimaces but he nods. “I’m studying real hard,” he says. “My brain’s going to explode!”_

_“It’s not,” Haruka says with a huff of laughter. “You study for a living.”_

_“I chose the wrong profession,” Nagisa moans. “It’s not too late! I can still be a secret agent!”_

_“You love being an archaeologist.” Haruka has seen the effort Nagisa puts to learn more about his field and how he prepares for any excavation. He’s still starting in his career but the professor he works for has nothing but praise for him._

_Nagisa sighs. “I do.” He smiles then, reaching over to take Haruka’s hand. “We should go get dinner, right? You must be starving from practice.”_

_“Yeah, let’s go.” They walk to the restaurant hand-in-hand._

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

When they finish eating, Haruka stands up to get the dessert from the kitchen. The song stops, and then changes into another familiar one. Nagisa remembers this as the one they heard in Paris during the Gold Medal celebration. He had pulled Haruka to the dance floor and slow danced with him. Despite not wanting any attention, Haruka had smiled and put his hands on Nagisa's shoulders, pulling him close. Haruka's teammates had wolf-whistled and cheered, but he only smiled down at Nagisa like they were the only ones in the bar.

Nagisa smiles at the memory-

And then he promptly freezes as soon as he sees what Haruka is carrying.

It’s a simple cake, with pink frosting and an Iwatobi-chan cake topper. There are strawberries and macarons around it. It looks _perfect_. Nagisa’s mouth waters just at its appearance.

But that isn’t what shocks him.

What shocks him is the silver ring Iwatobi-chan is holding in its beak.

Haruka walks to the table and puts down the cake, before plucking out the ring. He kneels down in front of Nagisa.

“What?” Nagisa doesn’t know what’s happening. He stares as Haruka smiles up at him with those warm, tender eyes he loves so much. “Wait- What?”

“Nagisa,” Haruka says, and he’s _smiling_. He looks confident and amused and joyful. Nagisa loves him. “Will you marry me?”

Nagisa feels like his heart is growing twice its size and melting at the same time. He feels floaty. The fairy lights seem to shine brighter as his eyes fill with tears.

“Of course!” He exclaims, thrusting his hand forward. “Of course I will!”

No matter where they go, no matter how far away they may be from each other, Nagisa knows they’ll always be together. Forever.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

_It takes Haruka three years of living together before he realizes that having Nagisa around is one of the best things in his life. His days are brighter, and going home after a tiring day is easier when Nagisa is there to say “Welcome home!” and tell him all about his classes. Haruka loves swimming, and competing on the world-wide level will always be his goal, but he knows by now that there’s more to life than that._

_His Tokyo trips to visit Makoto helped him on his first year, and when Nagisa moved in with him, everything felt so much better._

_Nagisa’s presence in his life has always been a light, especially during dark times._

_When he felt alone and left behind because Makoto joined the basketball team when they were in middle school, it was Nagisa who walked home with him and ate snacks with him and talked to him about his feelings. When he was close to giving up on swimming, Nagisa built the Iwatobi Swim Club through sheer will. When he was nervous about his first relay after years of not competing, Nagisa hugged him and told him that everything will be fine._

_Nagisa is a light, and Haruka wants him by his side forever._

_So, after graduation, all he feels is fear and apprehension for a future without Nagisa. It’s high school all over again, except this time, he knows what it feels like to wake up to Nagisa’s smile, or to cook lunch while Nagisa hums by the sink. He knows what he’ll miss, and he feels more empty because of it._

 

_Nagisa asks him to help with moving out and over to Gou’s apartment, which he agrees on immediately because it’s a chance to lengthen their time together. He doesn’t have to let go yet._

_He doesn’t expect Gou’s apartment to have rose petals on the floor, or to have candles lighting up the kitchen in a romantic glow. She’s nowhere in sight, and only Nagisa is sitting by the kitchen counter, holding a plate of mackerel._

_“I tried?” Nagisa says. The mackerel is a bit charred. “I bought takeout from that restaurant you like, though. We don’t have to eat this.”_

_Haruka walks over and takes the plate. He sits at Nagisa’s side and puts the plate right in front of him, picking up the chopsticks to dig into it. “I’ll eat this.”_

_Nagisa’s smile is as bright as ever. “Congratulations on your graduation,” he says._

_“Thank you.”_

_“And I wanted to say something else.” Nagisa takes a takeout box and opens it, hands shaking a bit. Haruka doesn’t understand what he’s nervous about. “I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay with you for three years. I’m not… I wasn’t the best roommate, right? I’m messy and loud and-”_

_“You’re perfect,” Haruka says, because that’s what he thinks._

_Nagisa’s eyes widen and a blush colors his cheeks. “Haru-chan, you’re not helping!”_

_Haruka blinks in confusion. It feels like he’s missing something here._

_“Thank you for being my roommate and my friend. I had so much fun these past years, and I’ve gotten through so much because you were always there to support me.” Nagisa takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I think… I think I really like it, living with you and eating lunch with you and hanging out during the weekends, and I don’t really want it to stop.” He stares right at Haruka, and with an earnest voice, he finishes, “You’re the best person I know. I like you, Haru-chan. If you like me too, I want to try dating, even if it’s long-distance.”_

_There’s silence for a minute as Haruka digests his words. Nagisa looks nervous, gaze turned down as if he’s waiting for a rejection._

_“I like you too, Nagisa.”_

_When Nagisa looks back up, tears in his eyes, Haruka leans forward to kiss him._

_Haruka doesn’t know what the future holds, but he thinks if Nagisa is with him, there’s nothing to fear._

**Author's Note:**

>  _“It's a wild, wide, beautiful world_  
>  But there's a wide-eyed boy back there  
> And he means everything... everything”


End file.
